English Walnut question

My English walnut tree was grown in a large pot until spring 2007. During the winter of 2006-2007, the trunk died. After it was planted in the ground, it came back from the roots. Okay, fine. But this past winter, the trunk again died. I see new sprouts at the bottom, so it is alive and once again growing back from the roots. .

I thought maybe because it was in a pot is why the trunk died last winter, but why did it die again this winter? According to PF it should be hardy to -25 degrees. It doesn't get anywhere near that cold here.

Anyone have any experience with this tree? At this rate, I'm going to have an English walnut bush, not an English walnut tree.

Karen

I am certainly not an expert, but here are some of my thoughts:

Did you buy this tree from a nursery? If so it may be possible that the English Walnut that was grafted on the top died and you may have black walnut rootstock.

English Walnuts are very susceptible to freeze.. but you are in such a warm climate ( compared to me anyway), That I am surprised you had a freeze problem.

There are also different strains of "English Walnuts".. Some are native to warmer climates. The Carpathian strain is from the more mountainous regions of Europe and may survive more cold..

I am more inclined to think that this tree , that usually has a very large tap root, didn't like being in a pot one bit.

It was a seedling planted by a squirrel. It was in a pot until it reached about six feet tall. The last pot it was in was about three feet across and about three feet deep. I know that by being in the pot it would lose about one or two hardiness zones, but I am in 7b. Everything I've been able to read on English walnuts gives a hardiness to zone 4 or 5.

However, it spent the last year in the ground so it would no longer have had the disadvantage of zone loss from the pot. I am thoroughly mystified why it died back this past winter.

Karen

I have not had any English Walnuts to die back like yours. however, I once had a black walnut to die back once like that. It then grew to a nice tree size.

Hmmm. I don't think this one should have either. That's what I can't understand about it. I know it's an English walnut, though, because the squirrels buried the walnuts all over everyone's yards from the trees up the street. We dug this one up and put it in a pot.

We got a lot of extra rain this winter -- but I would think that if the problem was from that, it wouldn't be coming back from the roots because the roots would have rotted.

When the trunk died the first time, it was about 6' and was still in the large pot. If it lost two zones because of the pot that still would have put it at about a zone 5b, which should have been all right. I thought, okay, it did get too cold anyway. But this past winter in the ground, it had grown back to again about 6' and the trunk is again dead but the roots are not.

If I wrap the trunk next winter for protection for it, what should I use?

Karen

The only cold damage to the English Walnut trees I have had was January 1985 when it got -25° F. It did kill back the tops of 2 maturish trees, but the young trees were not harmed.

Indy,

Our winters aren't anywhere near that cold. The last two winters it did get down once or twice into the middle teens.

If I don't figure out how to keep this from dying back I'm going to have a walnut bush instead of a walnut tree. LOL.

Karen